the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged  to us, we went on an outing to 
 the glass factory that  bore our  family 
 name.  it  had changed owners many times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood   abandoned  for  a  long   while. 
 finally,  the  natural end  station  for 
 the buildings  that  survive: a  museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a long  time  since  my  family 
 made  anything.  by many,  we  would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there  are two  main factory  buildings, 
 domed things of several floors,  made in 
 yellow brick. large  but narrow windows, 
 reminescent    of    some     cathedral. 
 custom-made glass, of  course, large and 
 leaded, and ashen. a bit  too dark to be 
 practical.  on  the  eastern   building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one is publicly  open. there's 
 a museum,  with wax figures of my  great 
 great great  grandfather, or  something. 
 various tools  (or replicas) laid out on 
 tables,  with explaining texts. a lot of 
 glass     of      varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly sneak out, and  climb into the 
 other   building.   the    contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict  for  a   long   time,  windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all  over   the  floor.  no 
 electric  lights,  but  i can see by the 
 light that  shines in  wherever the dark 
 windows     are    missing    a    pane. 
                                          
 however, the greatest difference  is the 
 higher  floors: this building  has none. 
 it is one  massive hall, stretching away 
 infinitely above  me. somewhere up there 
 is  some great  iron  latticework,  from 
 where chains  are suspended,  and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there  is,  in the middle of  the  great 
 hall,  a  thin  spiral   staircase  that 
 leads up there.  i sneak over there, and 
 take a few reluctant  steps. after  just 
 a revolution,  i  notice that  for  each 
 step the  building starts to  glow,  the 
 bricks  turning  a dark  red,  and  then 
 orange, all  the  piled  up debree being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i stop ready  to run  down  and out, but 
 there's someone  else on  the  staircase 
 with   me   now,  pressed   close.  he's 
 looking  like  me, short  hair and  thin 
 arms,  but with  ears from  some animal, 
 and  more disturbingly,  completely made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear holds  me  in  place  while  he 
 starts  operating levers and  dials  set 
 in the center of the staircase.  slowly, 
 it  starts  spinning,  circling upwards. 
 it's   an   elevator!  i  start  to  run 
 downwards,   but  now   the  liquid  boy 
 creature  grabs hold  of  me.  i try  to 
 shake him off,  but he's too strong, and 
 pulls   me   back    up   beside    him. 
                                          
 this time, i  turn  angry  instead. what 
 the hell? who is  this  guy, acting like 
 this? i  reach out  my free arm and slam 
 a  random   lever.  some  metal  bar  is 
 suddenly released  between  us,  hitting 
 him on the arm,  forcing my  release.  i 
 shove him off of  me,  and he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,   a  thin  rusty  chainmail 
 curtain  is dropped  around me.  but the 
 elevator  also speeds up  significantly. 
                                          
 the  walls  are  flaring   now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue.  i close my eyes and 
 curl into a  ball. but  then,  the glass 
 boy   screams,  a  piercing  sound  that 
 forces my eyes  back open. i watch as he 
 becomes  too  liquid,  his  body pooling 
 down in his now  massive tail,  and  the 
 tip  of it suddenly breaks of in a glass 
 drop  that  falls  toward  the   factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's  crawling on the stairs, unable  to 
 keep his body  upright. can't reach  the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his  body  is  turning  into dark 
 pearls.  finally, he's  lost too much of 
 himself and  the scream  is  cut  short. 
 the    last   of   him    rains    down. 
                                          
 i  still  can't  reach the  levers  from 
 within my cage.  looking up,  i  try  to 
 make out  the  ceiling,  but it's  all a 
 whirling  sea of colours. below me glows 
 the  hellfire of the  factory walls, but 
 very faint. i sit  down, curl  back  up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large  clunk shakes my  entire  body, 
 and  snaps me  back  into  reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs   are  still   moving   slightly, 
 clicking  in place, carrying me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i   slowly  dismount   the  stairs. 
                                          
 shaking and crying, i  make my  way over 
 the factory floor,  wading through  dark 
 glass marbles. a quick glance  down, and 
 i see  there's  something  faint  inside 
 them.    embryos?    are   these   eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.